Dr. Strange and Clea, both hummer-ready, would like you to consider reading a new Dr. Strange story

The first thing you think of when you see the above image? That Clea is servicing the good Doctor. She isn’t, of course(?), but this is nevertheless another in a proud lineage of promos that have a woman posed in stark subservience to her virile man, evoking all manner of oral fixations. Stretching from the classic Brothers Hildebrandt Star Wars poster to National Lampoon’s Vacation and everything beyond and in between, it’s a venerable trope. There’s just something about having a woman’s head at crotch level that draws eyeballs, so much so that it worms its way into every Boris Vallejo ripoff under the sun. (Granted, it would work better here if Stephen showed some chest and Clea clung to one of his legs. Still…)

Sex sells, baby, and Dr. Strange books have always been the hardest of hard sells. It was a long, drawn-out fall after the Ditko/Colan days, and even in the latter there was an embarrassing costume change or two mixed in. So we can forgive these promotional lengths, I guess.

Strange looks rather pleased. “By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, that was fantastic!” Good for him.